Chapter Two: When the Dust Settles
Three days had passed. Three horrific, heartrending days. Dawn didn't know how they were going to survive it. That was the thing about Apocalypses. Even if you survived them, there was always hell to pay in the end. Always heartache, and suffering. No one ever got off Scot-free.
Faith was dead. Kennedy was dead. So were Rhona and Amanda and most of the Potential Slayers. Andrew had somehow managed to survive, but it was little consolation. And worst of all, Spike was gone.
Dawn paced back and forth across the living room, idly listening to the arguing going on around her. Once she had gotten home and gotten some rest, she had begun to heal quite nicely. Still, Giles had forced her to stay in bed for two whole days. This was her first afternoon spent with the gang.
The living room was fairly empty, compared to what it had been just days earlier. The Potentials who had survived, had all gone back to their respective homes. Even though Faith was dead, not one of them had been called, and no one was quite sure why. The LA gang had headed back home the day after the battle, leaving only Angel and Cordelia behind. Giles was still present and accounted for, as were Willow, Xander and Anya.
But Buffy was another story.
After watching Spike explode into a big cloud of dust, Buffy had just lost it. She had not spoken since Angel had dragged her, kicking and screaming, from the battle. Now she was just sitting on the couch, her eyes glazed and unfocused, completely unresponsive to the chaos around her.
Willow was kneeling on the floor in front of Buffy. Giles had left her in charge when he and Xander had gone out to do research.
"I think it could be dangerous," Willow said. "I remember how difficult it was last time to get her out of this. I'm not sure I could do it again. And even if I could get in there, and get through to her? I'm not sure her mind could take it. We might lose her completely. For good."
"Well, we have to do something," Angel said angrily as he too paced across the carpet. "She has to break out of this. She can't stay like this forever."
"And I don't think she will." Willow gently stroked Buffy's hand, trying to offer her some comfort, some solace. "I think she just needs some time to get passed what's happened. She's still in shock."
"It's been three days!"
"I know." She looked up at Angel, her warm eyes soft and compassionate. "But it may take more time than that. Once she's been able to accept what's happened, then maybe she'll be able to snap out of this. Right now, I think her mind really just needs to heal." Willow pushed herself up off the floor, and sat down beside Buffy.
"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Angel asked, still obviously frustrated.
"Be here for her? Offer her support?"
"But we're not going to be here," Cordelia said, as she moved up to stand beside Angel, wrapping her arm supportively around his. "We go back to LA tomorrow."
"I know. But the rest of us will be here. Me, Xander, Giles, Dawn."
"And me. Don't forget about me," Anya interjected. "Just because I've never really been friends with Buffy, doesn't mean I won't be here for her. After all, I did help save the world too."
"And Anya," Willow added grudgingly. "The point is, she isn't alone, and we'll find someway to pull her through this."
"Willow." Angel cocked his head and motioned for her to join him for a private conversation in the back of the room.
Dawn stopped pacing and leaned up against the back wall, her arms folded across her chest. She listened as Willow and Angel had it out.
"Did you even tell her about Faith?" he asked harshly. "About the Potentials? About anything?"
"No." Willow looked downcast. "I'm not sure it would even register at this point. Faith made the ultimate sacrifice. Gave up her life to close the Hellmouth and save the world. But I don't know what that would mean to Buffy right now, even if she could understand it. Watching Spike . . . watching Spike die, was too much for her. I can't explain it, but--"
"Of course you can explain it," he interrupted her. "She thinks she's nothing without him, her life is nothing without him. She's wrong," he said, his voice hard and uncompromising.
"I know."
"Then convince her of that. You know," he began to rant to himself, "I can't even believe we're having this conversation. This is Spike we're talking about. Spike! What the hell has happened to Buffy that Spike's the one she goes catatonic over? Not Faith, not the Potentials. But Spike! The evil, bloodsucking fiend."
Angel stopped and looked around the room, finally noticing that everyone was staring at him. He pulled Willow a little closer and lowered his voice. "She has to snap out of this," he said. "She has to get over this and move on with her life. She's the Slayer. She may be the last Slayer for all we know. She needs to be aware and capable at all times."
"I'll deal with it. Just trust me, okay?"
Dawn watched as Willow drifted back to the couch to be with Buffy. Her heart was in her chest, as she looked helplessly on. There was nothing she could do to reach her sister. How desperately she had tried, but nothing worked.
Dawn felt like she was dying. Spike was gone, and somehow he had managed to take Buffy with him. For the first time in a long time, she felt terribly alone. She had only been on this earth for three years and already she had had to watch her mother die, and her sister, and now Spike. She smiled bitterly to herself. How many times could you watch your family being ripped apart before you finally lost it?
In spite of their past differences, Dawn had really loved Spike. She had thought he would always be there - he was immortal after all. She had always thought there would be time to reconcile. To heal and forgive. But there wasn't. He had died thinking she hated him. And now Buffy was slowly slipping away too. It was too much to bear.
Fighting back the tears that were threatening to overtake her, Dawn moved across the room and sat on the other side of Buffy, wrapping her arm around her sister and leaning her head down to rest on Buffy's shoulder.
"It'll be alright," she whispered. "I promise. We'll get through this Buffy. I promise."
The tears came in spite of all her efforts to the contrary.
Willow moved closer and wrapped her arms around Buffy and Dawn, trying to comfort them both, to no avail.
"This has to end," Dawn heard Angel say from somewhere across the room. "And if Willow can't fix it, I will."